Tray for protective packaging

ABSTRACT

A tray for a protective packaging includes a first side and a second side. The tray also includes a plurality of inner support portions, each inner support portion configured to receive a portion of at least one object from the first side, and a plurality of contoured outer support portions, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion. The outer support portions substantially protect the object from the second side.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/539,187, filed Jan. 26, 2004.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is related to protective packaging, and more particularly to a tray for protective packaging.

BACKGROUND

Certain products may have to be protected during handling and transportation thereof, because they are susceptible to damage due to excess vibration, i.e., shaking, and impact. Such products include glass or porcelain bottles, light bulbs, vases, eggs, and even some fruits. For example, wine and liquor bottles are typically constructed from glass and may break upon impact with another object. Because wines and liquors are relatively expensive compared to most other beverages, protection thereof during shipping and transportation may be necessary.

Although a variety of enclosures may be used as protective packaging for wine and liquor bottles, a packaging that is low cost, is light weight and compact, can be manufactured in high volumes and is safely disposable is preferred. A low cost packaging will reduce the cost of purchasing the wine or liquor to the end user. A light weight and compact packaging will reduce shipping and transportation costs. If the packaging can be mass manufactured, the cost of the packaging will be further reduced. Finally, a safely disposable packaging will reduce the handling and disposal costs for the manufacturer and the end user.

A type of packaging that is used for wine or liquor bottles is a molded pulp tray that when joined with another tray forms a protective enclosure for the wine or liquor bottle. The tray includes a number of circular internal surfaces that contact the corresponding outer surfaces of the bottle. When the two trays are joined, portions of the bottle are surrounded by these internal surfaces. The tray also includes a number of outer surfaces that project outward to protect the inner surfaces from impact. When the two trays are joined, a rectangular or square enclosure is formed that can be inserted in a shipping or display box. The outer surfaces contact the inner surfaces of the box to protect the bottle from impact.

The above-described tray is typically manufactured by a wet paper pulp molding process, where pulp fiber suspended in water is drawn through a screen. The outer surfaces of the tray are typically rectangular so as to define half of the enclosure that is formed by the pair of trays. Accordingly, the outer surfaces may include sharp draft angles, which are the transition angles between the surfaces that form the outer surface. The higher the draft angle, the easier it may be to remove the tray from the mold. However, larger draft angles make the depth of the tray small such that the space for the bottle shrinks. In contrast, small draft angles make removal of the tray from the mold difficult such that tearing or misshaping of the tray may result during removal thereof from the mold. Additionally, small draft angles will weaken the structural integrity of the tray and slow the process of tray manufacturing. Typical trays may have a draft angle that is determined so that a compromise between the problems described above is reached.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a tray for a protective packaging that can accommodate a variety of objects, including wine and liquor bottles, is light weight and compact, can be mass manufactured, is disposable, low cost, and overcomes the above-described problems.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one principal aspect of the present disclosure, a tray includes a first side and a second side. The tray also includes a plurality of inner support portions, each inner support portion configured to receive a portion of at least one object from the first side, and a plurality of contoured outer support portions, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion. The outer support portions substantially protect the object from the second side.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a package includes a first tray and a second tray, each of the first tray and the second tray including a first side and a second side. The tray also includes a plurality of inner support portions, each inner support portion configured to receive a portion of at least one object from the first side, and a plurality of contoured outer support portions, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion. The first side of the first tray defines a first plane and the first side of the second tray defines a second plane. The first tray and the second tray define an enclosure configured to house the corresponding portions of the object when the first plane and the second plane are superimposed. Additionally, the first plane and the second plane substantially define a diagonal of the package when the first plane and the second plane are superimposed.

In accordance with another principal aspect of the present disclosure, a tray for an object includes a plurality of spaced apart inner support portions disposed along a length of the tray, each inner support portion configured to receive a corresponding portion of the object from a first side of the tray. The tray also includes a plurality of a spaced apart and contoured outer support portions disposed along the length and configured to substantially span a width of the tray, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion, each outer support portion including a first surface and a second surface extending outwardly from a second side to a vertex portion configured to join the first surface and the second surface. The inner support portions collectively support the object, and the outer support portions substantially protect the object from the outer side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. However, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a prior art packaging having a pair of trays enclosing a bottle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of one of the trays of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of one of the trays of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a tray for a protective packaging constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the tray of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the tray of FIG. 4 supporting a bottle having a first configuration.

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the tray of FIG. 4 supporting a bottle having a second configuration.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a pair of trays for a packaging constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure with one of the trays illustrated in fragmentary view.

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of a back side of the pair of trays of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the pair of trays of FIG. 8 shown partially pivoted relative to each other.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the pair of trays of FIG. 8 shown in the closed position and inside a box that is illustrated in a fragmentary view.

FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the trays of FIG. 8 in the closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting and understanding the principles disclosed herein, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications are the principles disclosed as illustrated therein as being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure relates.

FIG. 1 illustrates a pair of prior art trays 20 for supporting a bottle 22 for packaging, shipping or transporting the bottle 22. Each tray 20 includes a tray opening 30, from which the bottle 22 can be placed inside the tray 20. Each tray 20 includes a bottle support 24 that is shaped to correspond with the outer shape of the portion of the bottle 22 that it supports. The tray 20 also includes a number of support posts 26 that are positioned along the length of tray 20 between the bottle supports 24. Each pair of laterally opposed support posts 26 is connected by a support surface 28, which spans the width of the tray 20. Each support post 26 is defined by a post axis 32, which is perpendicular to the tray opening 30. Additionally, the support surface 28 may be generally parallel with the tray opening 30 so that when a pair of trays 20 are brought together to enclose the bottle 22, the pair of trays 20 form a generally rectangular or square packaging for the bottle 22. Accordingly, the pair of trays 20 form a generally rectangular or square enclosure 23 with the support surfaces 28 forming two opposing sides of the box, while the support posts 26 form the other two opposing sides of the box.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a front view and side view, respectively, of the tray 20. As shown in FIG. 2, outer surfaces 34 of each support post 26 are angled relative to a corresponding post axis 32 by a draft angle 36. The tray 20 is typically manufactured by a wet paper pulp molding process, where pulp fiber suspended in water is drawn through a screen. The higher the draft angle 36, the easier it may be to remove the tray 20 from the screen. However, larger draft angles 36 make the depth of the tray 20 small such that the space for the bottle 22 shrinks. In contrast, small draft angles 36 make removal of the tray 20 from the mold difficult such that tearing or misshaping of the tray 20 may result during removal thereof from the mold. Additionally, small draft angles 36 will weaken the structural integrity of the tray and slow the process of tray manufacturing. Typical trays 20, such as those shown in FIGS. 1-3, may have a draft angle 36 that is determined so that a compromise between the problems described above is reached.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a front view and a side view, respectively, of a tray 50 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure. The tray 50 includes a first side 52 and second side 54. The tray 50 further includes a plurality of inner support portions 56 that can receive a corresponding portion of an object from the first side 52. The tray 50 includes a plurality of outer support portions 58, such that each outer support portion 58 is adjacent to at least one of the inner support portions 56. An object can be placed inside the tray 50 from the first side 52 such that portions thereof are supported by the inner support portions 56. The outer support portions 58 protect the second side 54 of each tray 50. Accordingly, the outer support portions 58 protect the inner support portions 56 and the object that is supported by the inner support portions 56.

In the following, a bottle 60 is used an example of an object to illustrate the structure, function, and operation of the tray 50 of the present disclosure. However, the tray 50 can be designed to support and protect any type of object having any configuration for storage, packaging, shipping and transportation of the object. Additionally, each tray 50 may support more than one object. For example, the tray 50 may be designed and manufactured to support one or a plurality of light bulbs, glass or porcelain objects, eggs, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, each outer support portion 58 includes a first surface 62 and a second surface 64 that extend outward relative to the second side 54 and toward each other to be joined by a vertex portion 66. The vertex portion 66 may be any shape as long as it joins the first surface 62 to the second surface 64. For example, the vertex portion 66 can be a flat surface, a plurality of flat surfaces joined together, or a curved surface. In the disclosed examples, the vertex portion 66 is curved and joins the first surface 62 and the second surface 64 so as to provide a generally triangular shape for the outer support portion 58. Furthermore, in the disclosed examples, the outer support portion 58 nearly spans the width of the tray 50.

Referring to FIG. 5, each inner support portion 56 is configured to correspond with a portion of a bottle 60 to support that portion of the bottle 60. The inner support portions 56 are disposed along the length of the tray 50 in a spaced apart configuration. The space between a pair of inner support portions 56 is occupied by an outer support portion 58. The outer support portions 58 extend outwardly relative to the second side 54 of the tray 50 beyond the inner support portions 56. Accordingly, when any of the outer support portions 58 is contacting a surface, such as an inner side of a shipping box, the adjacent inner support portions 56 are protected by the outer support portion 58. The outer support portions 58 are disposed along the length of the tray 50 in such numbers so as to protect the inner support portions 56. In the disclosed examples, as shown in FIG. 5, the tray 50 includes four outer support portions 58 that generally protect five inner support portions 56. The tray 50 may also include a plurality of ribs 68 that are positioned along the edges of the tray 50 so as to provide structural support for the tray 50. Each rib 68 may simply include curved surfaces that provide additional stiffness to a corresponding edge of the tray 50. First side 52 of the tray 50 is generally flat and defines a plane 70, the function of which will be described in detail in the following.

The inner support portions 56 of the tray 50 can be sized, shaped and positioned to support a bottle 60 of a particular shape. However, certain bottles have a similar shape with minor variations in length, width or curvature at different portions thereof. For example, wine bottles are typically similar in shape, with some wine bottles being taller than others while some wine bottles being wider than others, and/or some wine bottles having longer necks, for example, than others. Accordingly, the tray 50 can be manufactured so that the inner support portions 56 can support a large variety of wine, liquor, or beverage bottles.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the ability of the trays 50 to support a wide variety of bottle shapes. Referring to FIG. 6, portions of a bottle 60 closely fit in the corresponding inner support portions 56, that is the diameter of the bottle 60 is substantially similar to the diameter of the inner support portion 56. However, certain other portions of the bottle 60 do not fit in the inner support portions 56, that is the diameter of the bottle may be smaller than the diameter of the inner support portion 56. Additionally, the length of the bottle 60 is shorter than the length of the tray 50 such that the lower most inner support portion 56 does not support any portion of the bottle 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the bottle 61 is taller than the bottle 60, such that it is supported by all of the inner support portions 56. Additionally, the bottle 61 has a different shape that the bottle 60. Accordingly, as compared to the bottle 60, different inner support portions 56 closely support the bottle 61.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate that by disposing the inner support portions 56 in a spaced apart configuration along the length of the tray 50, and by configuring the inner support portions 56 to a general shape, size, and contours of a typical bottle, a wide variety of bottles of any size, shape and length can be accommodated in the tray 50.

A pair of trays 50 can be joined to provide an enclosure 53 to support the bottle 60 for storage, packaging, shipping, transportation, and/or any other purpose where the bottle 60 should be protected from external contact, impact or the like. Referring to FIG. 8, a first tray 50 is attached to a second tray 51 along the pivot edges 80 and 81, respectively. Accordingly, either of the trays 50 or 51 can be pivoted about the pivot axis 83. By pivoting the trays 50 and 51 toward each other, the first site 52 of the first tray 50 can superimpose on the first site 52 of the second tray 51. In the disclosed examples, the trays 50 and 51 are identical in shape, size and configuration, but are assigned different reference numbers to illustrate and describe the formation of the enclosure 53. However, if desired and/or necessary, the trays 50 and 51 can be different depending on the application for which they are used.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate a sequence of pivoting of the trays 50 and 52 from an open position as shown in FIG. 9 to a completely closed position as shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 9, the pair of trays 50 and 51 are joined at their pivot edges 80 and 81, respectively, and are open. In the open position as shown in FIG. 9, a bottle 60 can be placed in either one of the trays 50 or 51 through the first side 52 of the corresponding tray 50 or 51. After the bottle 60 is placed in one of the trays 50 and 51, the other tray can be pivoted about the pivot access 83 so that the first side 52 of one tray superimposes on the first side 52 of the other tray. As shown in FIG. 10, the tray 51 is pivoted about the pivot access 83 toward the first tray 50. As shown in FIG. 11, the first side 52 of the second tray 51 is superimposed on the first side 52 of the first tray 50. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the trays 50 and 51 form an enclosure 53 that houses the bottle 60 and protects the bottle 60. As shown in FIG. 11, the enclosure 53 can be placed in a correspondingly sized box 55. The box 55 can be a packaging, a shipping carton, a storage box, a display box, or the like.

When the enclosure 53 is placed in the box 55, the first surfaces 62, the second surfaces 64, and the vertex portions 66 of the outer support portions 58 of each tray 50 and 51 may contact the inner sides of the box. Accordingly, during movement of the box 55, the enclosure 53 is secured in the box and prevented from movement. Furthermore, because the bottle 60 is housed inside the enclosure 53, the enclosure 53 prevents movement of the bottle inside the enclosure 53, and the outer support portions 58 protect the inner support portions 56 from any object that may impact the box 55 from outside of the box 55. Additionally, because the trays 50 and 51 are constructed from pulp, the trays 50 and 51 are inherently flexible and provide a certain level of dampening upon impact. Accordingly, if an object strikes or impacts the outside of the box 55, the impact will not be fully transferred to the bottle 60, because the outer support portions 58 and inner support portions 56 will absorb the impact and distribute the forces of the impact throughout the structure of the first tray 50 and the second tray 51.

Although the trays 50 and 51 are shown to be attached to each other and pivot relative to each other, each tray 50 and 51 can be an independent tray and not be attached to another tray. Accordingly, to provide the enclosure 53, the tray 51 can be simply placed on top of the tray 50 to enclose the bottle 60 in the enclosure 53. Therefore, in a facility where the packaging of the bottle 60 is performed, a number of single trays 50 and/or a number of joined tray pairs 50 and 51 may be available. Therefore, the enclosure 53 can be formed by a pair of joined trays 50 and 51, or two single and independent trays 50 as described above.

Referring to FIG. 12, a side view of the enclosure 53 is shown. The first side 52 of the first tray 50 and the first side 52 of the second tray 51 form a diagonal 57 of the enclosure 53. The diagonal 57 is formed by the plane 70 of the first tray 50 and the plane 70 of the second tray 51 being superimposed when the first side 52 of the first tray 50 and the first side 54 of the second tray 51 are brought together to enclose the bottle 60 in the enclosure 53. Accordingly, the tray 50 forms half of the enclosure 53, an the tray 51 forms half of the enclosure 53. Therefore, because the enclosure 53 is substantially square shaped, the outer support portions 58 of each of the trays 50 and 51 contoured to have a substantially triangular shape.

As shown in FIG. 12, the contoured shape of the outer support portions 58 provides a higher draft angle 76 relative to the draft angle 36 of the tray 20 of FIGS. 1-3. Accordingly, the tray 50 can be pulled out of its corresponding mold while reducing the risk of tearing or misshaping of any part thereof. Additionally, in contrast to the tray 20 of FIGS. 1-3, the high draft angle 76 does not reduce the depth of the tray 50, because the tray 50 forms half of the enclosure 53 based on the split in the enclosure 53 by the diagonal 57. Furthermore, the high draft angle 76 also increases the structural integrity of the enclosure 53.

In the above-described examples, the outer support portion 58 has been described as being substantially triangular by including a first surface 62, a second surface 64, and a curved vertex portion 66. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the outer support portion 58 can be contoured and in any shape to provide a corresponding shape for the enclosure 53. For example, the vertex portion 66 may be a flat surface that is joined to the first surface 62 and the second surface 64 by two curved surfaces. In another example, the outer support portion 58 can include a plurality of joined surfaces that are joined together by smaller curved surfaces. Such an outer support portion 58 that includes five surfaces may be, for example, substantially pentagonal. Therefore, the outer support portion 58 can be contoured to any shape such that each tray 50 forms half of the enclosure 53 as defined by the diagonal 57.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of the disclosure. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the disclosure is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the related art. 

1. A tray comprising: a first side and a second side; a plurality of inner support portions, each inner support portion configured to receive a portion of at least one object from the first side; a plurality of contoured outer support portions, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion; and wherein the outer support portions substantially protect the object from the second side.
 2. The tray of claim 1, wherein the object is a bottle, and wherein each of the inner support portions is configured to receive a corresponding portion of the bottle.
 3. The tray of claim 1, wherein the inner support portions and the outer support portions are constructed from molded pulp.
 4. The tray of claim 1, wherein the outer support sections are substantially triangular.
 5. The tray of claim 4, wherein each outer support portion includes a first surface and a second surface extending outwardly from the second side to a curved vertex portion configured to join the first surface and the second surface.
 6. The tray of claim 1, wherein each outer support portion substantially spans a width of the tray.
 7. The tray of claim 1, wherein each outer support portion is substantially perpendicular to a length of the tray.
 8. The tray of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ribs disposed proximate a perimeter of the tray along a length and width of the tray.
 9. The tray of claim 1, wherein the first side defines a plane, the plane substantially defining a diagonal of a package.
 10. A package comprising: a first tray and a second tray, each of the first tray and the second tray including a first side and a second side, a plurality of inner support portions, each inner support portion configured to receive a portion of at least one object from the first side, and a plurality of contoured outer support portions, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion; wherein the first side of the first tray defines a first plane and the first side of the second tray defines a second plane; wherein the first tray and the second tray define an enclosure configured to house the corresponding portions of the object when the first plane and the second plane are superimposed; and wherein the first plane and the second plane substantially define a diagonal of the package when the first plane and the second plane are superimposed.
 11. The package of claim 10, wherein the outer support portions are substantially triangular.
 12. The package of claim 11, wherein each outer support portion of the first tray and the second tray includes a first surface and a second surface extending outwardly from the second side to a substantially curved vertex portion configured to join the first surface and the second surface.
 13. The package of claim 10, wherein the object is a bottle, and wherein each of the inner support portions of the first tray and the second tray is configured to receive a corresponding portion of the bottle.
 14. The package of claim 10, wherein an edge of the first tray is pivotally coupled to a correspondingly configured edge of the second tray to define a pivot axis between the first tray and the second tray, and wherein the first tray and the second tray are pivotable about the pivot axis between a plurality of open positions where the first sides of the first tray and the second tray are exposed and a closed position wherein the first plane and the second plane are substantially superimposed.
 15. The package of claim 10, wherein the inner support portions and the outer support portions are constructed from molded pulp.
 16. The package of claim 10, wherein each outer support portion substantially spans a width of the corresponding tray.
 17. The package of claim 10, wherein each outer support portion is substantially perpendicular to a length of the corresponding tray.
 18. The package of claim 10, each of the first tray and the second tray further comprising a plurality of ribs disposed proximate a perimeter of the corresponding tray along a length and width of the corresponding tray.
 19. A tray for an object comprising: a plurality of spaced apart inner support portions disposed along a length of the tray, each inner support portion configured to receive a corresponding portion of the object from a first side of the tray; a plurality of a spaced apart and contoured outer support portions disposed along the length and configured to substantially span a width of the tray, each outer support portion being adjacent to at least one inner support portion, each outer support portion including a first surface and a second surface extending outwardly from a second side to a vertex portion configured to join the first surface and the second surface; wherein the inner support portions collectively support the object; and wherein the outer support portions substantially protect the object from the outer side.
 20. The tray of claim 19, wherein the object is a bottle, and wherein each of the inner support portions is configured to receive a corresponding portion of the bottle.
 21. The tray of claim 19, wherein the inner support portions and the outer support portions are constructed from molded pulp.
 22. The tray of claim 19, wherein each outer support portion is substantially perpendicular to a length of the tray.
 23. The tray of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of ribs disposed proximate a perimeter of the tray along a length and width of the tray.
 24. The tray of claim 19, wherein the first side defines a plane, the plane substantially defining a diagonal of a package. 